Global Voices » Denmarkhttp://globalvoicesonline.org
Citizen media stories from around the worldSun, 02 Aug 2015 18:06:15 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Citizen media stories from around the worldGlobal VoicescleanCreative Commons Attribution, see our Attribution Policy for details.Citizen media stories from around the worldGlobal Voices » Denmarkhttp://img.globalvoicesonline.org/Logos/GV-Logo-Vertical/gv-logo-below-square-144.gifhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/-/world/western-europe/denmark/
Amaal Said’s Portraits of Belonging: An Interviewhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/05/12/amaal-saids-portraits-of-belonging-an-interview/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/05/12/amaal-saids-portraits-of-belonging-an-interview/#commentsTue, 12 May 2015 14:06:18 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=522157Zachary Rosen interviews photographer/poet Amaal Said. Amaal was born in Denmark to Somali parents and is currently based in London:

AIAC: Your photographs are remarkable in how they challenge and evolve notions of beauty in mainstream Western media by featuring intimate portraits of melanin-rich young people – with piercings, in headscarves and with natural hair. What experiences inform and shape the content of your photographs?

Amaal Said: I try my hardest to keep close to beauty. I grew up in a neighbourhood referred to as a ghetto in Odense, Denmark. I went back two years ago and all I can remember is how many shades of green I saw. I wish I had captured more of it. My own memories of Odense are at odds with what I read about it and hear from family. It’s always been a beautiful place to me, which doesn’t mean that a lot of sadness and tragedy didn’t happen there, it just means that both elements can exist at the same time.

I’ve spent most of my life in London and I’ve had the pleasure of being in communities with other artists who are doing really important work in the world. I never felt alone in that case. Negative opinions of the countries we came from and the communities we lived in existed. I was in classrooms with other children who claimed that people that looked like me were dirty immigrants who stole jobs and cheated the system. I feel like I spent a lot of time at secondary school fighting people’s opinions. And I’m not in those particular classrooms anymore, but I’m still trying to combat those negative portrayals.

I never saw the documenting I did as particularly hard work. I asked to take people’s pictures because I found them beautiful, because I recognised myself in them. I realise now how important the work is and how necessary it is to push against the images that do not represent us in our best light.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/05/12/amaal-saids-portraits-of-belonging-an-interview/feed/0Denmark at a Crossroad After Two People Killed in Attacks in Copenhagenhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/02/17/denmark-at-a-crossroad-after-two-people-killed-in-attacks-in-copenhagen/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/02/17/denmark-at-a-crossroad-after-two-people-killed-in-attacks-in-copenhagen/#commentsTue, 17 Feb 2015 16:35:13 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=509248

In 2013, Denmark was crowned as the “happiest nation in the world”, allowing Danes to take pride in the safe, tolerant and free environment their country provides for its people. On Valentine’s Day, love was not in the air of a Copenhagen cafe. A man opened fire at a free speech debate in a local café, leaving the nation in shock and disbelief.

The man, identified by Danish media as Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, 22, fired several shots during the event killing 55-year-old film director Finn Norgaard. Later on, in a separate attack, El-Hussein shot dead Dan Uzan, 37, a Jewish man who was guarding the Copenhagen synagogue overnight.

The two attacks carried out by the same man also left five policemen wounded. The man responsible for the attacks was shot dead by police on Sunday morning in his neighborhood of Norrebro. Danish police also arrested two people in connection with the attacks, stating they aided the suspect by providing him with arms and helping him hide.

Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who was attending the event, has previously received death threats for his drawings of Prophet Mohammed, and is believed to be the intended target. He has now gone into hiding. Also attending was French ambassador Francois Zimeray. Both were unharmed in the attack.

On Twitter, Angelique Chrisafis, The Guardian's Paris correspondent, shares this photograph of the front window of the bar, riddled with bullets:

Investigations later revealed that El-Hussain has just been released from prison, after serving a sentence for stabbing a teenage passenger on the train in 2013.

Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard told the BBC the suspect was on the police’s radar for his previous gang activities, saying that he wasn’t a returning fighter, but a Danish citizen with a violent reputation. He urged the Danish people to “stand together” and “not live in fear”.

People on social media immediately expressed support and solidarity, and posted photographs of people gathering outside the synagogue and placing flowers at the site where Uzan was shot.

Danish born Arab Philip Halloun created an image of the Danish flag, with Arabic text on it that reads: “Denmark my home”. He shared the image on his Facebook page and it soon got many likes and shares:

Lynn, a 21-year-old Japanese exchange student in Aarhus who did not want her last name to be identified, says she was expecting friends to visit her for her birthday this week, but was surprised when her friends told her their parents were against them traveling to Europe at this time, because they feared the region may be a target for attacks, especially after ISIS released a video claiming to have beheaded a Japanese journalist. Lynn told Global Voices Online that she tried to convince them that Denmark was safe, and was reassured by her friends in Denmark that there was no safer place than here.

I was quite surprised about this attack and was relieved that they didn't come. When my friends told me about cancelling their trip, I thought it was too much, but now, I think their decision was right. Everywhere has potential to be attacked.

Lynn was celebrating Valentine’s and her birthday with other friends in Copenhagen at the time of the attacks and realized that nowhere is truly safe.

Last night, the city of Aarhus joined Copenhagen in mourning the victims of the shootings. Hundreds of people gathered around City Hall as the Mayor of Aarhus Jacob Bundsgaard urged the Danish society to stand united and believe in the values of democracy and freedom. People raised the flag of Denmark, lit up candles, and left flowers to honor the victims of the shootings in Copenhagen last weekend.

Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark, is known to be the home of the controversial paper that originally printed the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2005. It is also home to the controversial mosque, Grimhøj mosque, that allegedly supported ISIS publicly, and is responsible for sending at least 22 of the 100 fighters that left Denmark to join ISIS in Syria and Iraq — allegations that the mosque’s Imam Abu Bilal Ismael has denied.

In an interview I conducted with the Imam, he claimed he had no idea of who goes to fight until after they return, arguing that the mosque does not encourage young adults to join fighters abroad. He suggested that what these young adults see on social media and the atrocities committed by Syrian President Bashar Al Assad trigger their sense of jealousy and protective nature of their religion and people, which may have led them to go fight alongside their brothers and sisters abroad.

Ismael is also reported to have publicly called for the killing of Jews previously, according to a video that has surfaced on social media again following the death of the Jewish guard.

He explained his position saying he was simply saying a prayer asking God to take revenge and punish the Zionist killers, specifically those who commit crimes against humanity in Gaza, Palestine, and not the Jewish people in general.

“I didn’t call for the killing of non-Muslims and it’s not in our religion to do so, because our religion forbids us to call for killing of the innocent. I didn’t call for the killing for the innocent people whether Jewish or non-Jewish. They took my words out of context and repainted them in a different picture,” he said.

Aarhus has been also widely criticized, especially by conservative parties like the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, for adopting a soft approach in dealing with returning jihadists by finding them jobs and helping them reintegrate within the Danish society. This contrasts with tough laws adopted by neighboring countries like France, Germany and the UK.

But for a blogger who goes by the name Che's Little Brother, the incident should be taken as an opportunity to discuss immigration and multiculturalism in Denmark:

An estimated 30,000 people participated in the memorial for the victims of a recent shooting in Copenhagen, Denmark on February 16, 2015. Photo by Jacob Crawfurd. Copyright Demotix

Denmark woke up to a Monday of mourning after two people were shot dead and the alleged shooter killed in the capital over the weekend. The violence was perceived as unprecedented in Danish territory.

As the world followed online and in media, Danish social media users tweeted and posted about the historic tragedy.

First shooting: Saturday, February 14 at 3:30 p.m.

A panel debate on free speech in Copenhagen ended tragically Saturday afternoon, when a gunman fired more than 40 shots from outside the debate venue. Film director Finn Nørgaard, 55, was killed and three police officers were injured.

The debate took place at the Krudttønden cafe in the central Østerbro district. One of the guests — the presumed target — was Swedish artist Lars Vilks, whose cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad have sparked controversy in the past. Some attendees live-tweeted the shooting.

Immediately after the shooting, a city-wide man hunt was launched, and an hour later the suspected getaway car was located. Still no gunman. Around 8 in the evening, the Copenhagen Police Department released a surveillance photo of a possible suspect via Twitter:

Second shooting: Sunday, February 15 at 1 a.m.

A Bar Mitzvah celebration was taking place in the heart of Copenhagen in one of the central synagogues. The party ended suddenly and tragically between midnight and 1 a.m. A Jewish guard, 37-year-old Dan Uzan, was shot in the head and killed. Two police officers were also wounded by gunshots, but survived. Once again, the gunman responsible for the crime fled.

Third Shooting: Sunday, February 15 at 5 a.m.

Copenhagen police then tracked down the suspected gunman in a street in the traditionally working-class area of north-west Copenhagen, bordering the Nørrebro district. After an exchange of gunfire, the suspect was shot dead. He was 22 years old and his name was Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein. Omar was born in Copenhagen and previously known to authorities for acts of violence and gang-related crimes.

Massive police presence dominated that Sunday in Copenhagen. Police kept searching for evidence and possible affiliates. So far, two men have been charged for possible involvement in the shootings.

A Danish reporter shared a graphic image of the gunman after the suspect had been shot down by police.

In the wake

Social networks have been on fire with reactions, comments, and statements from locals and across the globe. As expected in such complex issues, there are very different views on what happened and what needs to be done in the aftermath. However, one particular sentiment seems to resonate: to stand together and cherish democracy.

This is one of the images widely shared on social media, originally posted with the caption: “Rest In Peace”.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/02/17/a-social-media-timeline-of-the-copenhagen-killings/feed/3Are We Witnessing the Death of ‘Uh'? Um, Maybe — and Not Just in Englishhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/02/14/are-we-witnessing-the-death-of-uh-um-maybe-and-not-just-in-english/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/02/14/are-we-witnessing-the-death-of-uh-um-maybe-and-not-just-in-english/#commentsSat, 14 Feb 2015 06:00:10 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=508477

US President Barack Obama and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte both favor “uh” (or “eh” in Dutch) over “um.” Younger people and women are more likely to say “um.” Credit: PRI's The World/Reuters.

According to experts, “uh” and “um” are somewhat different beasts. “It does seem to be the case that ‘um’ generally signals a longer or more important pause than ‘uh,'” says Mark Liberman, a linguist at the University of Pennsylvania. At least that's what he thought.

Liberman has been studying these so-called “filled pauses” for almost a decade, and he has made a rather curious discovery.

“As Americans get older, they use ‘uh’ more,” he says. “And at every age, men use ‘uh’ more than women.”

If you look at “um,” exactly the opposite is true. Younger people say “um” more often than older people. And no matter the age, women say “um” more than men. Nobody, not even the linguists, were expecting this result; until they studied these hesitations, they thought it was more about the amount of time a speaker hesitates than who that speaker is.

Then, late last summer, Liberman attended a conference in Groningen in the Netherlands. During a coffee break, Liberman was chatting with a small group of researchers. He brought up his finding about the age and gender differences related to “um” and “uh,” which prompted the group to look for that pattern outside of American English. They scanned British and Scottish English, German, Danish, Dutch and Norwegian.

The result, says University of Groningen linguist Martijn Wieling, is that, “in all cases, we find the same thing.” Just like the Americans that Mark Liberman analyzed, women and younger people and younger people said “um” more than “uh.”

Wieling's conclusion is that we are witnessing a language change in progress, “and that women and younger people are leading the change.”

The future of “um”

This pattern of women and young people leading us forward is typical of most language changes. But why is “um” our future, across at least two continents and five Germanic languages? It's still a puzzle.

Josef Fruehwald's research suggests that the use of ‘um’ is preferred among females and young people. Credit: Josef Fruehwald/University of Edinburgh.

Josef Fruehwald, a sociolinguist at the University of Edinburgh, agrees that “um” and “uh” may be used slightly differently. But as far as he is concerned, they are pretty much equivalent.

“When you have two options, you can start using one more frequently and maybe replace the other one so that it’s no longer an option,” he says. “So why ‘um?’ It’s just one of these things. There’s always a little bit of randomness to the whole situation.”

By random, he means that we do not know why changes in usage like this happen, or when the next one will be. Fruehwald admits linguists are terrible at predicting the future — worse than meteorologists! Language, he says, is even more chaotic than the weather.

As for how such a linguistic trend might have jumped from one language to another, Fruehwald says “there are some documented cases of that kind of thing happening, usually where people can speak both languages and borrow features of one into the other.”

English is the most likely to be influencing the other languages, but we still don't know whether that's actually what's happening with “um.” More research and more linguists are needed.

And as for the future, “um” and “uh” may yo-yo back and forth in terms of their popularity. Or we may well be watching the extinction of “uh” from our lexicon.

So would Fruehwald miss “uh?”. “I don’t have a really strong emotional connection to either of these,” he admits. “Although based on my age demographics, I’m likely a high ‘um’ user. So maybe that’s where I should throw my loyalties.”

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/02/14/are-we-witnessing-the-death-of-uh-um-maybe-and-not-just-in-english/feed/0An Election Film Week in Lebanon to Say #NoToExtension of Parliament Termhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/09/01/an-election-film-week-in-lebanon-to-say-notoextension-of-parliament-term/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/09/01/an-election-film-week-in-lebanon-to-say-notoextension-of-parliament-term/#commentsMon, 01 Sep 2014 20:42:47 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=487800What better than the seventh art to mobilize? In another effort to push for Elections in Lebanon and prevent an extension of the Parliamentary term #NoToExtension, Lebanese NGO Nahwa Al Muwatiniya (meaning Towards Citizenship) held an “Election Film Week”.

We have been struggling with a fragile democracy in Lebanon, ever since its independence. Today, more than in the darkest days of the civil war, the foundations of our democracy are at risk. But we’re not alone in this. The world is full of stories about the human struggle for self-determination and democratic participation. Broadening our perspective serves our effort to improve the quality of the political system in Lebanon.

The films we picked share stories from different countries, all which portray the election process. Collectively, they reveal a combination of human values and ideals and the efforts politicians make to win an election.

The current parliament extended its four-year stay for the first time in May 2013. And like a year before, various parties are supporting the move this time around under the pretext of security conditions.

The end of the parliamentary term comes amidst a period of turmoil in Lebanon. The country has lacked a president since May 25 after parliament failed to elect a new head of state and top officials could not reach political consensus. A general strike by syndicates demanding to approve a new enhanced wage scale for civil servants has threatened to paralyze the entire country. Lebanon has experience instability on both Syrian and Israeli borders after soldiers were kidnapped by members of Islamic militant organization ISIS.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/09/01/an-election-film-week-in-lebanon-to-say-notoextension-of-parliament-term/feed/0Does This Sexist, Violent Video Make You Want to Vote?http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/05/13/does-this-sexist-violent-video-make-you-want-to-vote/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/05/13/does-this-sexist-violent-video-make-you-want-to-vote/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 10:07:02 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=470568http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQaZxFi6_Io

Denmark's government has officially retracted a violent and pornographic animated video [warning: graphic] that was created to encourage young people to vote in the European Parliament elections this month. The viral video featuring the fictional character “Voteman” was defended by the Speaker of the Danish Parliament, Mogens Lykketoft, this week as being “fairly innocent” and humorous. Now he concedes they should have considered the idea more carefully [da]. The video is still widely shared and discussed online, but critics insist there are more appropriate ways to interest young people in European politics than with images of decapitations and group sex.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/05/13/does-this-sexist-violent-video-make-you-want-to-vote/feed/2Pity for the Poor, or When Do We Get to Hear the Good News?http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/05/07/pity-poor-ngos-the-good-news/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/05/07/pity-poor-ngos-the-good-news/#commentsWed, 07 May 2014 03:00:28 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=456085

Communications experts at Danish NGOs are coming to value images like the one above, but those engaged in raising funds often seem stuck in narrative of distress and disaster. Image by Adam Cohn (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

You've seen them before: a child in rags with an empty stare and flies in his eyes; a mother helplessly embracing an emaciated child. It may hurt to watch these images, and they might inspire us to do something, but images like this show only one side of the story.

Communicators must always select an angle, of course, and I acknowledge that sad images are part of the reality. But what about the other part, the part that shows resources, potential, development? In Latin America, for instance, there are more women than men enrolled at universities. In Africa, infant mortality is decreasing. Since 1990, 2.1 billion people have gotten access to water, and between 1999 and 2011 the number of girls attending school in Afghanistan increased from 15,000 to 2.2 million (Source: UN).

These are solid numbers that tell pretty amazing stories—but do they receive as much attention as the ones that paint pictures of distress and disaster? I am not saying that our work is done and that we have reached the coveted goal of a more equal and just world. But my impression is that truly constructive stories are rarely told, and positive images seldom shown.

Denmark: Big Results, Little Knowledge
Every year, DR, Denmark's national broadcaster, and a dozen Danish NGOs host a nationwide fundraising event. The tagline of the show this year was “When mom is missing”, focusing on orphans, and the press photos [da] depict either the show's hosts, happy children, or serious-looking children with watery eyes. Since 2007, the Danes have invested more than 500 million DKK (90,5 million USD) on development projects in Africa. That is a lot, and it makes a difference. But what about the images we reproduce each year of developing countries: are we not promoting an unequal image of a merciful North and a distressed, helpless South?

Denmark has a long tradition of solidarity work, bilateral and multilateral aid offered by recognized experts and organizations that navigate the complex field of development. So it bothers me to see such a simplistic image projected by a nationwide fundraising event: someone is in need -> let’s help -> we helped -> let's feel good. I appreciate that the event is doing a great job raising funds—but the underlying narrative undermines the purpose. And the unfortunate truth is that this type of narrative is quite widespread throughout the world.

A recent report produced for DANIDA [Denmark's international development agency] shows that 65% of Danes support the giving of development aid. At the same time, 64% believe that the number of people living in poverty in the world remains the same as twenty years ago, and that only 3 out of 10 children in the world go to school. Actually, 9 out of 10 children are in school; and over the last twenty years the number people living in poverty in the world has decreased to 700 million. In short, there's been massive progress on many fronts, but apparently the Danes haven't heard the news.

Good News on the Rise
In 2010 an initiative was launched with the main goal of communicating positive results from developing countries, creating awareness among the Danes and providing a counterweight to the numerous disaster stories in the news. It's called World's Best News, and uses the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals as a point of departure. The project was initiated by DANIDA and the UN, with the collaboration of 90 Danish NGOs and 90 companies. A quite unique coalition, with the not-so-traditional goal of spreading good news.

Full disclosure: I work for World's Best News and my view of the initiative is therefore biased, but I do have an observation to share: something is happening in the NGO environment. More and more NGOs are contacting World's Best News for advice on how to frame their communications and campaigns in more constructive ways. And World's Best News is not the only player in the field.

In 2012, news editor Ulrik Haagerup released a book called “Constructive News: A Confrontation with the Negative Worldview of the Press”. An obvious provocation for the media. Haagerup points to the power of the press and encourages journalists to wield that power with greater care, and to practice critical journalism constructively.

A year earlier, in 2011, a former executive producer and reporter, Cathrine Gyldensted, published her master's thesis from the University of Pennsylvania online. Her study shows that both consuming and producing classical news reporting have a substantial negative emotional impact on both journalist and their readers, and that positive reporting could form the basis of a huge potential shift in news media.

Another important finding was that too much negativity creates apathy. In order to elicit a response and reaction from our readers, Gyldensted concluded, we need to show a way out, a possible solution—a spark of hope. Not meaning we should jump to the extreme of creating only positive news—that, too, would be untrustworthy—but news that is nuanced, balanced and constructive.

This leads me back to the NGO world. The communications departments of Danish NGOs are demonstrating more and more interest in constructive communication, but fundraisers, generally speaking, not so much. A fundraiser friend of mine told me what the numbers tell her: they raise more money on ads showing children in rags than on ads where the subjects are better dressed. If we are to believe the findings of Gyldensted, however, too many rags will end up creating apathy, and apathy is unlikely to generate donations in the long run. Hope, on the other hand, motivates people.

I believe that it is only a matter of time before readers and donors come to value constructive narratives as much as the communicators. It's a chain reaction—someone has to be in front to set the wheels in motion.

In order to alleviate the lack of student housing available across Europe, a few universities in Denmark, Germany, France (Le Havre) [fr] and Spain have tried to turn containers into student dorms. Containers appear to be the structure of choice because they are less costly and readily adaptable to include the necessary amenities. However, a few associations have already raised a few issues [fr] regarding thermal isolation and safety in the containers.

“European institutions should safeguard the right to free, independent and pluralistic information”. The quote, from the Media Initiative website, summarizes the main idea behind a pan-European campaign that aims at urging the European Commission to draft a Directive to protect Media Pluralism and Press Freedom.

The Media Initiative is running a European Citizens’ Initiative – a tool of participatory democracy “which allows civil society coalitions to collect online and offline one million signatures in at least 7 EU member states to present directly to the European Commission a proposal forming the base of an EU Directive, initiating a legislative process”. The petition is available in 15 languages and can be signed online:

Protecting media pluralism through partial harmonization of national rules on media ownership and transparency, conflicts of interest with political office and independence of media supervisory bodies.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/01/20/europe-mediaeci-freemedia/feed/3‘Women Should Be Submissive’, and Other Google Autocomplete Suggestionshttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/11/05/women-should-be-submissive-and-other-google-autocomplete-suggestions/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/11/05/women-should-be-submissive-and-other-google-autocomplete-suggestions/#commentsTue, 05 Nov 2013 01:49:47 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=440283A series of ads by UN Women, revealed in late October, used the Google Autocomplete feature to uncover widespread negative attitudes toward women. Global Voices followed reactions to the UN Women campaign and conducted its own experiment in different languages. The results of searches conducted both within the UN Women campaign and Global Voices revealed popular attitudes not only about women’s social and professional roles, but also about their sexuality, appearance and relationships with men.

The creators of the UN Women ads used search phrases like “women cannot”, “women shouldn’t”, “women should” and “women need to” completed by genuine Google search terms to highlight overwhelmingly negative stereotypes, sexist and highly discriminatory views held about women by society globally. The ads quickly went viral and sparked a heated discussion online. Last week, creators have announced that they are planning to expand the campaign in response to the mass online reaction.

The auto-complete function for searches, according to Google, predicts users’ queries based on the search activity of all users of the web as well as the content of indexed pages. The predictions may also be influenced by past searches of the particular user if they are signed into their Google account.

Global Voices asked its contributors from around the world to carry out Google searches using the same or similar phrases as those used in the UN Women campaign, in their own languages. The searches done between October 19 and October 25, 2013, revealed attitudes about the roles women are expected to take in society, often demonstrating the same global prejudices, but sometimes showing contradictions in different countries. Below are searches in 12 languages from different countries and continents:

Spanish

Chile

“Women should not…”. A screenshot by Silvia Viñas. October 21, 2013.

Women should not…
Women should not preach
Women should not work
Women should not talk in the congregation
Women should not drive

Women should…
Women should be submissive
Women should use the veil
Women should preach
Women should work

French

France

“Women should…”. A screenshot by Suzanne Lehn. October 21, 2013.

Women should…
women should stay at home
women should work
should women preach
women should wear skirts
women should be submissive
women should know
women should vote
women should stay at home
should women work
women should do the cooking

“Women don't know…”. A screen shot by Rayna St. October 21, 2013.

Women don’t know…
women don't know how to drive
women don't know what they want
women don't know how to be in love
women don't know how to read cards

In Danish, the searches for “women cannot” and “women can” yielded the same results.

RussianRussia

“Women should not…”. A screenshot by Veronica Khokhlova. October 19, 2013.

Women should not…
Women should not be believed
Women should not lift heavy things
Women should not drink
Women should not be trusted

English

The UK

“Women should…”. A screenshot by Annie Zaman. October 25, 2013.

Women should…
Women should be seen and not heard
Women should stay at home
Women should know their place

Not all searches carried out by members of Global Voices community turned up negative terms. Nevertheless, the results of the experiment largely confirm UN Women’s worrying conclusion that a great deal of work still remains to be done in order to advance women’s rights and empowerment around the world.

This question was posted across ATMs of the big banks in Denmark back in September. It was the warm-up for the ‘Bank Transfer Day’ that kicked off on October 1, 2012.

The ‘Bank Transfer Day’ campaign [da] is a citizen initiative working to make the Danes reconsider where they keep their money – to consider if they can vouch for their bank. The goal of the campaign is to make the Danes dump the big banks and go to smaller savings banks and co-operative local banks instead.

Price increases in loans and overdrafts may have helped push the initiative forward – either way, more and more Danes express dissatisfaction with their banks, and so far an unknown amount have even switched banks.

The Facebook page [da] of ‘Bank Transfer Day’ has over 6,000 ‘likes’, and posts tick in with messages of “happy divorces” with old banks and recommendations for new ones.

It seems, however, that the day is only happy for the ones with sound financial circumstances. More people have commented on the wall that they were not allowed to change bank, as Ahu Perle Öztürk [da] comments:

As of the end of the month of February 2012, the mobilization efforts of Internet users against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) [en] were still going strong. In fact, they may have begun to bear fruit.

By including infringements against the author's rights in its scope, this international treaty, which addresses intellectual property rights, also affects Internet content.

The ratification debates which were placed on the European Parliament's agenda on February 29, were put on hold in expectation of the opinion of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The issue of the treaty's conformity with European Community law was brought before the court on 22 February by the European Commission.

If the opinion is negative, ACTA no longer stands a chance in Europe. However, if there is a positive opinion, appealing to the ECJ would mean a double advantage by giving the treaty a certain credibility, and also pushing back implementation to a time that is far enough away when public debate has settled down and the public's attention is focused elsewhere.

Jérémie Zimmermann, co-founder and spokesperson for la Quadrature du Net urges on the European deputies:

The Eurodeputies must resist the European Commission's strategy of attempting to gain time and turning the debate into a simple legal discussion, thereby continuing to work towards ACTA's rejection. ACTA aims to impose a tendency for a global policy of author's rights that is toxic for the free Internet and for freedom. The European Parliament is the last line of defense: it must act and adopt a firm and clear position, otherwise it will leave the field wide open for the commission to impose an unacceptable repression.

For trucbuntu, there is no question of remaining passive while waiting for the Court to adjudicate:

Citizens of all of Europe were able to contact their representatives in the International Trade (INTA) and Industry (ITRE) Committees, who met on February 29 to discuss ACTA. Many citizens requested their representatives to reject the proposal.

We are really close to victory — our petition, with 2.4 million signatures has shaken up those politicians in charge throughout Europe and stopped their censors. The European Commission is currently in a position of weakness and is hoping the Court of justice will green light the ACTA treaty by bringing before the court a very limited legal question, that will without doubt receive a positive response. But if we make our voices heard today, we will be able to get the court to examine all the legal implications of ACTA and publish an opinion that will bring to light the real attack against our rights that is ACTA.

The list is not exhaustive, do not hesitate to contact us to complete it ;)

If any individuals see themselves as budding photojournalists we are also looking for people to do a small photo story on how the protest unfolds, nothing too complicated, as it happens in Nice, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Strasbourg.

For details on the elements of the debate, see also these linked articles from the Tribune on February 29, and Myeurop, on March 3. On Global Voices, see the laws SOPA/PIPA that set a precedent in the USA, here [en] and here [en]. Since the beginning of the protests, ACTA seems to have lost a lot of political momentum.

Welcome to another edition of the Global Voices podcast. In this episode we talk through some of the ideas and issues surrounding the global Occupy movement and protests, as we listen to recordings from our team in different parts of the world.

My Greek Co-Host

In this edition, I “occupy” the podcast with Asteris Masouras, Global Voices author and Global Voices in Greek editor.

Asteris has been monitoring the global #Occupy movement online since it all began. Who better to accompany us through this edition of the podcast?

We got together on Skype and discussed Greece, Europe, and the Occupy world, especially in regards to how the movement communicates with itself and others.

Occupy Denmark

Global Voices in Danish co-editor, Maria Grabowski Kjær in Denmark, visits the Occupation there to find out what their methods and messages are. Though many seem to think the protesters are hippies, Thomas, who helped organise the movement in Denmark, aims to prove that this stereotype is not true at all.

Thomas of Occupy Denmark talked to Maria Grabowski Kjier about the movement

Frances Harlow is an independent radio producer, and friend of Global Voices. In Portland, Maine in the United States, she recorded at a local Occupy camp during her studies at the Salt Institute, after graduating from Brown University.

Frances’ report shows that it’s not always easy to consolidate a message among such passionate people. You can listen to more of Frances’ brilliant audio work here.

What do you make of the global Occupy movement? Is there a camp near you or do you participate?

It’s not easy to fit the entire movement into a short podcast but it has been interesting to highlight the similarities and differences across borders. There’s a whole lot more you can read up on at the special coverage page about the global Occupy movement on Global Voices.

Music Credits
In the podcast you can hear lots of lovely Creative Commons music. Thanks to Mark Cotton for his fantastic creations and thanks also to all of the wonderful voice over performances and clips that help to glue the podcast together.

The Global Voices Podcast, the world is talking, we hope you’re listening!

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/02/01/global-voices-podcast-occupy-this/feed/3Welcome to another edition of the Global Voices podcast. In this episode we talk through some of the ideas and issues surrounding the global Occupy movement and protests, as we listen to recordings from our team in different parts of the world.Welcome to another edition of the Global Voices podcast. In this episode we talk through some of the ideas and issues surrounding the global Occupy movement and protests, as we listen to recordings from our team in different parts of the world.Global Voicesclean30:11Global Voices Podcast: Brave New Year 2012http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/01/01/global-voices-podcast-brave-new-year-2012/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/01/01/global-voices-podcast-brave-new-year-2012/#commentsSun, 01 Jan 2012 12:35:04 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=281041

Hello World and welcome to 2012!

In this edition of the podcast we take a look back over the year 2011, consider the similarities and differences between mainstream and new media journalism, learn about an inspiring Rising Voices meeting in Bolivia to support the development of an ethnically and socially diverse blogosphere.

We also set off on a two-wheeled journey around the internet!

Considering 2011

For citizen journalists, bloggers and commentators everywhere, 2011 has been an extraordinary year. It’s hard to imagine a time before now when our friends and contributors faced threats, arrests or violence on such a scale. Nor has there been a year so far when we have seen such influence and change in the sphere of online citizen media. For many of our own writers and friends here on Global Voices, times are still difficult, but let's have hope for perseverance and better times ahead.

Looking back over a year of Global Voices Online is no mean feat! Our deputy editor, Emma Brewin, talks about jumping into a wild torrent of global news, and which stories stood out for her during an extraordinarily busy year.

From mainstream to new media

The Global Voices regional teams are made up of writers, bloggers and media makers of mant different types. Some, like Thiana Bondo, a Global Voices author and translator from Bahia, Brazil come from a journalistic background. Our managing editor, Solana Larsen chatted with Thiana, who is currently based in London, about the differences between being a daily newspaper journalist in Brazil, and writing for Global Voices.

Supporting the indigenous web in Bolivia

In December, Rising Voices hosted a three-day event in Cochabamba, Bolivia for bloggers in Bolivia. The goal was to support the development of a stronger, and more diverse blogosphere. There were workshops and presentations on both technical tools and organising strategies. The meeting was in Spanish, and was called Conectándonos (getting connected).

You may think that we are separated by distance and only connected by the internet, but it seems that we also have some healthy habits in common. Ever prepared with her recording device, Solana Larsen discussed the wonders of getting around by bicycle with Global Voices executive director Ivan Sigal. As Ivan explains, the online cycling community is a vibrant one.

Naturally this meant that I had to ask our stunt-cyclist-audio-contributors to share with us their thoughts on two wheels.

Cyrus Farivar an American journalist currently living in Germany, and the author of “The Internet of Elsewhere” chatted with us about cycling – directly from the seat of a bicycle. In Denmark, Maria Grabowski Kjaer shared the sounds of the city where cycling is celebrated. Cycling for Maria is not just a mode of transport but a way of life.

Well, that wraps it up for our first podcast of the new year. We’ll be chasing audio and chatting about the world’s news and habits online throughout 2012, so do stay tuned and always let us know what you’d like to hear. For now, inspired by our two wheeled wonders, I’m off to try and learn how to ride my bike without being a danger to myself and others!

Music Credits
In the podcast you can hear lots of lovely Creative Commons music. Thanks to Mark Cotton for his fantastic creations and thanks also to all of the wonderful voice over performances and clips that help to glue the podcast together.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/01/01/global-voices-podcast-brave-new-year-2012/feed/1In this edition of the podcast we take a look back over the year 2011, consider the similarities and differences between mainstream and new media journalism, learn about an inspiring Rising Voices meeting in Bolivia to support a diverse blogosphere.In this edition of the podcast we take a look back over the year 2011, consider the similarities and differences between mainstream and new media journalism, learn about an inspiring Rising Voices meeting in Bolivia to support a diverse blogosphere. We also set off on a two-wheeled journey around the Internet!Global Voicesclean33:41